15.2.11

This is the dessert we had for Valentine's Day that my toddler helped make (and enjoyed licking the spoon & bowl too)JEllO PARFAITSStir together for at least two minutes:1pkg jello (red for valentine's!)3/4 cup boiling waterAdd & Stir:2 cups Frozen chopped Fruit (strawberries in ours)Remove 1/2 cup of the fruit & jello mixture and add to a bowl with 1 cup Cool WhipLayer in glasses or bowls the jello, cool whip, jello, cool whip.Enjoy (they are so yummy!!!)

14.2.11

A Smoothie is a yummy treat for any age! We rarely (if ever) make these (I hate cleaning a blender!) so this is exciting for the kids.

It's yummy no matter the quantity of ingrediants you use, so here is my 'recipe':2 small yoghurtsa cup 'ish' of frozen strawberries (or other fruit)a bananablend that on ice crusher modepour in a small amount of milk to get your desired consistancy.

Baby Friendly (well not newborn but the age that is eating solids!) too!

CRAFT STICK Valentine's: Use red craft sticks (or paint them red) and write your message with a few stickers. This could be stuck into a small plant you are giving someone or maybe used as a bookmark...??

FELT Valentine Card: Cut hearts from felt and glue onto a card. For a folded card, you could get four cards of the long strip cards or eight of the small folded cards (from an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet)

This is the easy way to create a stained glass effect without the use of an iron and crayon shavings which is hard for a small child to be a part of. These Stained Glass Heart or Heart Snowflakes are made with Coffee Filters, Markers, and a spritz of water = EASY!

Fold coffee filter in half (could do a few layers at a time). Cut out half a heart.

I was making these for our party tomorrow and was putting it on display to take a picture. My daughter comes along seeing the Heart Straw and proceeded to drink two full glasses of water because the Heart Straw was so much fun. Who knew that something so simple could make her drink water - which she normally wouldnt drink!

7.2.11

(many of the hearts were cut from previous pink & red paintings we did earlier in the month

- i cut out lots of random sized hearts from these paintings plus from scraps of red and pink scrapbook paper.

Then when the mood hits to do a craft, its all ready!).

Have fun making different bugs or animals

- adding in the necessary googly eyes of course!

Any of these Love Bugs could be projects to hang up asdecorations or be made into special Valentine Cards for a Teacher, Child Care Worker, Grandparent, Aunt, etc.

Great for any age of child. A smaller child will need you to tell them what animal to create and maybe show them what it will look like. An older child can be given the bunch of random sized hearts and they can create whatever animals their imagination comes up with.

5.2.11

Okay, this is obviously not something that could ever be put up for sale but it will serve its purpose for my little guy :-)

Naturally, my teething boy doesnt like the expensive teething toys I have purchased. He loves to chew on the silicone bracelets that many companies and organizations advertise or fundraise with.

I gathered several of these bracelets, plus some other random things (key chain with nylon strap, ribbons, a braided leather bracelet I dont wear, and one Gumby) and tied them together. Its not fancy but it occupies a few minutes of his time (I hope this will entertain him on our upcoming long flight) and gives him some chewing delight.

*Paint egg carton cube. Let dry.*Write a little message on two hearts (like HUGS, KISSES, BE MINE, etc) and glue on either side of cube (these are the wings)*Poke two holes with something sharp on top of cube. Insert Pipecleaner. Curl ends.*Glue heart (this is the face) on front of cube. *Glue on googly eyes. *Draw a sweet little mouth.

**For hearts, I cut them from some previous artwork of my daughters done with red and pink fingerpainting - great way to reuse and save space**